I stumbled across this comment by Larisa: "He really makes the blogosphere into a more interesting place, giving us something to talk about."

Is the internet really lacking in interesting people? I don't think so. I've seen many interesting people. Perhaps too many. I've seen people who make me think. People who give me something to think about. People who just outright make my head hurt.

But what is interesting anyway? Is it always good? Of course not. The blogosphere would be much more interesting if Hitler's ghost was haunting us and commenting on our blogs. Ooh, how will he relate the recent hunter focus change to the Jewish conspiracy? I bet he's got something to say about racials.

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Maybe the word "interesting" wasn't the best found one. But anyway - while I have very little interest in BNP-economical stuff-like rants, there have been a few topics that have sparked a good discussion in the blogosphre. Like the raid-in-blues project. I prefer bloggers who actually contribute doing something, saying something - even if it might even be stupid at times - to plain boring bloggers who just publish screenshots of their latest holiday achievements. I honestly do. And I don't quite understand this urge for Gevlon-bashing. If you don't like a blog, just ignore it and it's likely to get much less attention. As simple as that.

There is a blog for instance that publishes pictures of "hot chicks" right out of the blue without any connection to the gaming/mmo/wow theme of the blog whatsoever. I have never mentioned the name of that blog and I never ever will. I don't want to give it a single click more than it deserves. It does NOT make Internet into an interesting place.

I find you interesting Klep *pats you on the head in a non condesending manner. Interesting is entertaining - thought provoking - amusing Or maybe this reading and writing wow blogs is just a means of extending our gameplay and sating - however so unsatisfying a gaming addiction. So it doesn't matter if your interesting or not. Just a placebo to inject untill we can get the real thing.

Larisa, you're a parent iRL. Do you know those parents who utterly and unexceptionally lack any sort of criticism toward their children? Who turn a blind eye on even the most outlandish atrocities their offspring may do or say? Who will, at best, justify everything with "but he painted such a pretty heart for my last birthday"? Do you like those parents? Well, guess what, you are that parent when it comes to the blogosphere.

Yes, Gevlon does have his gems, and therein exactly lies the problem. You keep him in the reader for the gems (and, admittedly, because he's likely to be subject of jokes with my oh so terrible social friends), but the ratio of gems to "whiny rants about how everyone else in the world is stupid and worthless" has been getting worse and worse. It used to be "good thoughts expressed in a controversial way, sometimes with (extremely) flawed references, but good thoughts overall", but now it's "possibly a good thought in a pile of dung". You can't help but keep looking for the nugget, but it stinks all the time.

And the one person with any even remotely possible influence (not responsibility, mind you, you're not his actual parent, after all, but influence nevertheless) on him? The same person who also happens to be maybe one of the most sensible persons in the entire WoW community? Goes all blind-spot and says "leave him alone, everyone, he painted me such a cute little heart for my last birthday". Meh.

@Rem: hm..... when I claimed to be Dwism:s mental mother the other day it was more intended as a joke. But yeah. You probably have a point there. I DO have a blind spot for Gevlon and the problem is that the more people bash on him, the more does my motherly heart bleed, even though he claims that he doesn't care about it the slightest (which probably is true... to a certain point... at least as far as he is aware of.)

Gah. I'd better shut up and keep quiet in those Gevlon-oriented discussions. I'm biased and just can't get out of it.

And honestly I doubt I have any influence. Who listens to their mother?

Gevlon bashing makes me genuinely uncomfortable. I think his reasoning and conclusions are often flawed - which I think Chas was trying to address in his last post - however this doesn't invalidate his right to express himself, nor Larisa's right to see merit in him.

His fangoblins I could do without but, again, we can't hold an individual responsible for the idiocy of his supporters.

I know he's also the Anti-Klep so I can see why he brings you out in hives :D

@Larisa: Socials have a tendency to attack those things which disgust them.

A blog with random hot chicks sounds interesting. Perhaps we simply have different perspectives and interesting is not an objective term.

Bias is not a reason to remain quiet. It is a reason to think a bit more about what you say and think, but if we were silent when biased, we'd forget how to speak.

I'd say you do have some influence. Your strange devotion to him is part of what got me to give Gevlon more than a few second chances. Though I don't read him because you like him, I read him because I have a bad habit of seeking out dissenting opinions and he's the best I've found. I don't mean best in the sense of having any positive qualities or having the most of any positive quality, but best in the sense of "everyone else is pretty much saying the same thing." I'd love if there existed a Gevlon who wasn't stubborn to the point of stupidity and indifferent to humanity.

@Pugnaciouspriest: I am not non-combat pet to be patted!

@Rem: As I've seen it, Gevlon hasn't change much at all. He yells about M&S, pretends to have evidence, attacks dissenters, and sometimes does something minorly interesting but ultimately poointless. His ganking project is the distillation of his blog down to one post, minus economics.

@Tam: Who said anything about his right to express himself? He has the right to express himself and I have the right to point out his many flaws, just as he has tried to do with me on occasion.

As for bashing, people should accept the costs of whatever 'arena' they enter. A murderer is fair game to be killed, a gambler may lose all he wins, a scam artist deserves no protection from tricks, and someone who spends so much time attacking others should be aware of mirrors.